


False Hope

by Redkammy (Indulgenceahoy)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Body Horror, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Slow Burn, Violence, Werewolves, edgeberry, pure author indulgence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 15:09:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16452242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indulgenceahoy/pseuds/Redkammy
Summary: In a corrupted, dying world, all you have is hope.Things have changed drastically after a world-destroying incident was unleashed in Underfell destroying the connecting between this world and Underswap.  Now a handful of survivors from both worlds have to find a way to fix or escape this increasingly unstable universe.  Blue has been claimed and Edge has to learn to be a source of hope on his own. A hope he doesn't believe in himself.





	False Hope

**Author's Note:**

> This is supposed to be a 2 or 3 part "quick" story without much world building. I just needed some stress relief due to recent events. I apologize for the self-indulgence.

A hooded figure flitted between snow-covered rocks and trees.  The beginning of the day cycle was still a couple of hours away and the only thing guiding them through the almost overwhelming darkness was their fading memory of the layout of the area and a few surviving street lights in the distance.  They could not risk any sort of light of their own nor sound. Even their scent could give them away, which is why they had chosen this night cycle for their mission. It was windy, but the snowfall wasn’t as harsh as it had been in recent cycles.  There was enough ambient noise with the cracking of branches and snow piles tumbling off to cover what little sound their light footsteps made. Also, they were counting on the biting cold keeping predators, even werewolves, away. 

 

He carefully surveyed his destination from the last possible cover available before having to cross a wide-open area.  His blue eyes could not discern clearly what was the shadow of a tree or the silhouette of a potential enemy, so stayed quiet trying to listen for anything that might not be wind traveling through the ruins of the once thriving town.  It took every bit of training he had to calm his pounding soul. He reasoned that no sane monster would be out at this time, especially in these conditions. Anything worth hunting was hiding in deep cover under the snow or in the warmer caves near the Waterfall.   

 

Then again, Blue was there.  And the monsters he was afraid of weren’t exactly sane either.  He made a perfect target. They wouldn’t have any qualms in hunting him down if they knew he was in their territory.  The mere thought of their fangs and claws chasing him down sent a shiver down his spine. 

 

Blue was not used to feeling foolish.  Even more so, to agreeing he was being foolish.  

 

But he had to do this.   He had to check. 

 

Edge would not be happy and certainly, if the tables were turned, Blue would be all kinds of mad at the taller skeleton.  However, it was too late to turn back now. If Edge was going to have a meltdown about Blue going back to the ruined buildings that used to be Snowdin, he might as well make it worth it.

 

After making sure that his scent-masking cloak was still securely on and taking a couple of deep breaths, Blue broke into a run towards the house he remembered belonging to the Fell Brothers.   An almost exact copy of his own home back in Underswap. In the low light of a single street light, he could see the faint outline of the building, but he would recognize it anywhere. It was one of the few multi-story structures in the town and the only one with a balcony.  

 

For once, Blue was glad for his small stature.   It made it easier for him to travel on snow without sinking into it too much.   He was practically jumping instead of running to keep his footprints as far apart as possible.  This was way more tiring than he thought it would be, and it was perhaps a useless exercise. Still, he hoped that if any of their enemies came across his footprints before the snowfall could cover them, they would confuse them to be that of a much larger, less vulnerable monster.

 

Instead of, well, him.  

 

It wasn’t much of a plan, much less a good one, but it comforted him to at least have that much of one. 

 

He arrived at the small porch at the front of the house without incident.   Panting as silently as he could. He looked around keeping his body tense in case he needed a quick escape.  Everything remained quiet. 

 

The front of the house was covered with snow.  There was no way for him to remove it before the day cycle came.  Even if he did manage to do so, it would be a dead giveaway of his presence there.  The door had been busted open and some of the windows as well. He had hoped that he would be able to sneak in through one of them, but they were also far more covered with snow that he had hoped.  

 

He cursed under his breath, he was usually better prepared than this.   

 

He looked around again and spotted the large tree next to the balcony on the right side of the house.  The snow had gathered so heavily there that the top half of the tree had bent towards it. He carefully made his way around it.  If he managed to climb it, he could make it into the house through the hidden door that led into Red’s bedroom. 

 

Smiling to himself, Blue put his plan into motion. His magic may not be as sensational as it once was, but he was still a very limber and agile skeleton monster.  It took a few tries to even get onto the tree and once on there, a struggle to stay on between managing the icy branches and the wind threatening to blow him off. 

 

With an undignified “Oof” he managed to flop onto the balcony.  Not the most magnificent of plans but it had worked. He laid on the snow-covered balcony staring into the dark abyss that passed for a sky in Snowdin.  His mind didn’t want to admit it, but his entire body was aching already. It would be quite the chore to make it back home once he was done with this mission.    He hoped Edge would let him take a warm bath before their inevitable argument. 

 

Blue grimaced.  More than that, he hoped that Edge would understand at least eventually, why he had to do it.   He hated the thought of Edge being mad at him. Or even worse, not trusting him anymore. He… He was all he had.

 

He reached into his pant’s pocket and took out a beat-up cell phone.  He turned it on and immediately saw several messages notifications fill up his screen.  He knew without even looking that they all must be from Edge. He knew it was childish, but he couldn’t bring himself to even read them at that moment.  

 

Even before the incident that had cut off the connection between the Underswap and Underfell Universes, Blue had developed a fondness for Edge.   He had been shut down quickly by the older skeleton with the reason that Blue simply wasn’t “his type” – whatever that meant – and had kept their relationship as strictly being comrades.   Blue had learned to accept this and pursued other relationships that while good, they never seemed to last for too long. His brother had teased him about “being too high strung”. That nobody had his level of energy.   Blue snorted. Well, all that energy was sure missing that night. 

 

Blue exhaled into the cold wind, watching his own breath dissipate into the wind.   Memories of his brother came on strong. He hoped he was ok along with Edge’s own brother, Red.   It had been a little over two years now. He suddenly felt tears on his cheeks and slapped his own hand over his mouth to stifle a sob. 

 

“C’mon Blue,” he admonished himself as he shook his head.   “Edge has moved on. Why can’t you?”

 

Promising to himself that he would return the messages as soon as he was in a safer area, he got up and brushed wet snow off his clothes as best as he could.  He was glad to find that the hidden door had very little snow against it due to being semi-protected by the awning and the trees. It didn’t take him long to get it open. 

 

Soon he found himself inside of Red’s former bedroom.   It was dark inside too, but it certainly felt safer. 

Blue found it surprising that the damp almost moldy smell of the room felt homey to him.  He didn’t dare turn on the room lights, but he turned on his own small flashlight to help him navigate through the mess.  

 

They had very little forewarning before having to leave.   The room was pretty much in the same state as that last day.  Clothes on the bed and floor. Books and papers on every available surface.  Blue fought the urge to grab something to bring back to Edge. He knew that Edge had already taken the most personal items back with him (photos, notes, Red’s favorite jacket).  Anything else was just not necessary and Blue didn’t have a lot of room his own tool bag anyway. 

 

He still allowed himself a moment to stand there.   It was probably the last time he would if things didn’t go well.   A moment of silence for a time long ago. 

 

He unlocked the door and walked into the second-floor hallway.  He decided to leave it slightly open just in case and carefully made his way down the stairs.

 

The first floor was a completely different story.  Chaos reigned there. Destroyed furniture by both monster and weather littered the area.   Blue silently thanked the stars that the werewolves that now roamed this area had little to no interest in taking residence in the abandoned building/houses.  The destruction had come about from them searching for food left behind and perhaps, petty revenge.

 

Blue shivered again at the giant claw mark near the entrance to the equally destroyed kitchen.  That had to be the werewolf leader’s work. He was the only one Blue could imagine being able to leave such a big mark.   Blue could also smell their pee everywhere. An act to make clear to everyone, even monsters who didn’t resort to such feral practices, that this was all theirs.  

 

Covering his nose Blue quickly made his way through the destruction and moved towards a far corner in the kitchen.   There, behind a fake panel was another secret opening that led to a small set of stairs. He had become very familiar with this set up with his coming and goings from Underswap to Underfell, and still preferred to use it even after Stretch and Red had set up a working portal between their worlds closer to Red’s sentry station.  The original and much smaller portal located in the basement of both their houses had remained for their private use and only a very select few monsters knew about it.

 

Once in the basement, Blue allowed himself to use the ceiling lights there since there was no way they would be visible from the outside.     They flickered a few times before becoming completely lit. Blue sighed in relief. At least there was some still magical energy still coming to Snowdin. That had to be a good sign for his mission.  

 

His eyes fell onto his target. A dark machine in the far corner of the room.   At one point it had been kept covered and surrounded by boxes in an attempt to hide it from view, but now it just stood there completely exposed and quiet.   Blue pulled on the bandana around his neck unconsciously. Despite having been through it several times, he always felt wary around the machine, as it was going to explode any minute.  

 

Before approaching it, he scanned the area around it, looking for signs of activity.   Everything looked untouched. His soul ached at the increasing evidence that he had made this trip for nothing.   

 

Blue growled the doubt away.  “C’mon, Blue! Get going”

He reached out for the panel he had seen his brother and Red use countless times.   He wished he had paid more attention to what they were doing back then, but he suspected that they didn’t know what they were doing either, as he often saw Stretch kick the machine to get it working.   

 

What Blue did know is that the machine had its own power source.   Red had commented on it several times. What the power source was a mystery they had been working on for a long time and it had been the results of these experiments that had allowed them to create the bigger portal that eventually ended up saving their lives.   

 

At least that’s what Blue hoped had happened. 

 

That’s why he was here, to look again, for one final time for proof that their family was ok.   And maybe even prove to THEM that Blue, Edge and other remaining Underfell monsters were ok as well.  

 

Blue looked up at one of the corners of the machine.  It had been bashed in by a very angry fist. It took weeks for Edge to be able to use his left hand again.  

 

Blue sighed.  This was the only way he could think of helping him out.   Perhaps, maybe he would smile again. 

 

He concentrated on inspecting the machine from top to bottom. Pressing any buttons, he saw.  Looking for any clues that might help him figure out how to use it. Ever since the incident had happened the machine had gone dark.  Whatever internal power source it was suspected of having had stopped working. 

 

Blue’s soul ached more with each passing minute.  He had rationally known mentally that all this effort was … just … stupid.  

 

He … had imagined that … maybe … he would walk into this room and there would be a message from his Brother telling him that he needed to turn the machine back on.  That everything was just fine. That the only reason they hadn’t heard from them was that they had really needed Blue and Edge to keep watch over this thing. This one soulless piece of metal and stars-only-knew what else.   Maybe … he had just needed to have a little more hope.

 

But, no.  It remained just as silent and dead as ever.   

 

He kicked the machine in frustration and slumped to a sitting position, hiding his face in his arms.   

 

“At least you tried,” he lamely tried to comfort himself.   Then he laughed without mirth. “Yeah, sure.” 

 

He got up again and looked over to the counter lining the wall to the left side of the machine.  Several discarded pieces of paper lay there. “Well, might as well go all the way through,” he said softly.  

 

He grabbed one of the papers and started writing on it.  He had planned for it to be a single paragraph message letting anyone who came through the machine know that there were still surviving monsters there, but his emotions soon took over and it became a long letter spanning two sheets explaining all that had happened so far and where they were going next.   He poured every ounce of hopes and wishes that still survived inside of him. It was a letter as much for missed loved ones as for himself. For Edge. When he was done, he felt a little better even calmer. 

 

He looked down at his handiwork and blushed a little bit.  It was admittedly, an embarrassing letter, but he meant every word in those pages.   He carefully folded them together and placed them inside the machine. 

 

He checked the time on his cell phone.  He still had about half an hour before dawn.  If he hurried he could probably make it back to the deeper part of the forest before his presence was detected.   He frowned at the blinking icon on the top of his cell phone's screen. He really should get back to Edge. He was probably pissed at him by now for leaving their camp without letting anyone know.  

 

He held his breath in and tapped on the icon.   A series of messages displayed one after the other.  The urgent tone in them obviously increasing with each one.  

 

“Where are you?” 

 

“Blue, where are you?  Grillby complained that it was your turn to make dinner” 

 

“WHERE ARE YOU?”

 

“RESPOND NOW”

 

“BLUE????”

 

“WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?????”

 

Blue closed his eyes.  Ok, no point in making him angrier.   

 

“Hey boss, I’m alright.  I’ll be back soon.”

 

Almost as soon as he had tapped the SEND button, there was a reply. 

 

“WHERE ARE YOU?”

 

“I’m ok.   I’ll report everything as soon as I’m back.” Blue really didn’t want to risk Edge coming down to Snowdin to get him.   Not so close to the day cycle. 

 

“WHERE. ARE. YOU??” 

 

“I’m near the forest.” Lying made Blue feel sick.  He was already making his way back to the narrow stairs when his phone started vibrating.  Edge was calling his bluff. He wanted to video chat with him. With a shaking hand, he denied the call and put the phone on silent.   He looked back at the machine one last time before closing and locking the door behind him. 

He quickly made his way through the house and back into Red’s bedroom.   He locked the bedroom’s door as well. He stepped into the balcony and made his way down back to the ground.   The dawn’s light was fast approaching. Faster than Blue had calculated. He still took the same precautions he had taken when he arrived.  

 

When he arrived at the edge of the forest, a breath he didn’t even realize he had been holding, escaped his mouth.   He surveyed the area, planning the fastest way back to home camp when he froze. 

 

A growl.  

 

Blue whirled around to look back towards the town.   In front of the Fell’s house stood a very tall monster.  There still wasn’t enough light to make out details, but Blue didn’t need them.  He knew who this monster was by their size alone. 

 

Goldentooth.  The current leader of the werewolves and Edge’s main competitor for control of what was left of the Underfell Underground. 

 

Blue fought back a rush of panic.  There was still some distance between them and the relatively safer part of the forest.  He lifted his hands in front of his chest showing empty palms. “I’m sorry I came into your territory Goldentooh.  I was … just nostalgic. Wanted to take one last look. I … promise you will never see me again.”

 

He took a couple of steps back and the giant werewolf didn’t move.  Ok. Maybe this could work. 

 

Suddenly, he heard more growls coming from all around him.   Blue couldn’t see the rest of the pack, but he knew they were close and, even worse, they had him surrounded.  

 

Blue gulped and concentrated on increasing his DEF stat.   HIs attack magic was next to useless in Underfell after the incident but he could still manipulate his chances of survival.  He was also still very fast on his feet. He just needed to convince his knees to stop shaking 

 

“Hey, guys, really, I’m leaving,” Blue took a quick look around him trying to spot where the rest of the predators were.   “I’m sorry for bothering you all so early.” 

 

He took a few more steps away from his intended path and he could hear the monsters moving in that direction.  Good, his misdirection was working. Ok. He just had to be quick. 

 

He manifested a single bone and threw it as far away as he could.  “FETCH!” 

 

The werewolves were instantly distracted by the object.   He bolted in the opposite direction of his throw. He forced himself to not think about how many of them they were.  To not think about the fact that they were really fast too. If he could only get to the denser underbrush, he could squirrel away in the smaller space.   He wasn’t looking forward to all the scratches on his clothes and bones this plan entailed but surely the bigger monsters would not bother following him in.  

 

He made this into his one and true goal.  Everything else was just a distraction. 

 

He ducked under a couple of werewolves that were in the direction he needed to go.  He felt the tip of his cape get caught briefly by claws. 

 

“Don’t think about it.  Don’t think about it. Run, RUN!” Blue released more bones stacks behind him.   The weak magic would cause no damage but anything to slow them down as much as possible.   His soul pounded inside his head, the cold wind was making it hard to breathe properly. The ground started thundering signaling the leader wolf running full speed after him.  He could hear him barking orders to the others. 

 

The small skeleton jumped off a small hill hoping to be able to roll down it and gain more distance but he was suddenly overtaken mid-jump by one of the smaller werewolves.  They rolled together the rest of the way. Luckily, a snow-covered rock knocked them both away from each other. Blue landed hard on his side making him see stars. 

 

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and scrambled back to his feet.  He barely had gained back his balance when Goldtooth landed right in front of him making him almost fall again.  Blue bit back a yelp and blindly turned to run away only to be stopped by a massive claw hitting him the side of the head.  

 

The strike sent him flying against another rock.   Blue’s vision darkened around the edges and could feel marrow dripping the side of his head.  He weakly tried to get up again only to be grabbed by the neck and lifted off his feet. Blue squeeze his eyes shut as the pain traveled down his spine.  He felt Goldtooth’s hot breath on his face. 

 

“Hm.  You aren’t even enough for a snack,” the werewolf sneered with a deep, grumbly voice full of mirth.  

 

Blue felt himself being inspected by the beast.   His thick sweater and shirt were lifted and sharp teeth scrapped against his ribs making the small skeleton monster gasp.   He forced his eyes to open but couldn’t focus them. He kicked at the werewolf but this only gained him increased pressure on his neck, he was quickly losing his grasp on consciousness.  

 

Suddenly he felt himself falling as he was released.   He gasped and retched on the ground. 

 

“You’re Edge’s little companion aren’t you?” Goldtooth asked.  

 

Even in his dazed state, Blue could tell that the werewolf was being rhetorical, so he didn’t even bother to gather the energy to answer him.  His entire body was shaking uncontrollably now. He doubted he could get up, much less run. He was done for. 

 

He looked up at the white and grey wolf towering over him.  The morning light giving his magical body an eerie glow. Other shapes were gathering around them but keeping their distance.   Blue was their leader ’s quarry.

 

Blue flinched when the werewolf leader suddenly sat on his haunches and gave him a long, appraising look, growling and laughing to himself.  Through his fear, the skeleton wanted to tell him to just get it over with and dust him. That it was rude to play with one’s food but all he could manage is to whimper as shock overtook his body.   The notion of asking for the mercy of one last message to his group. To Edge floated into his mind. This idea gave his will determination and to his surprise and that of the werewolves, he found himself getting shakily up again.   

 

“P-Please…” Blue said in a barely audible voice.   “I-I beg you for one … o-ne last mer-mercy” 

 

“OH?” Said Goldtooth perking up and returning to his full stature.   “Pretty bold of the prey to ask for favors.” He announced to the rest of his pack who laughed and snickered at the notion.  

 

“P-Please,” begged Blue taking his cell phone out from an inner pocket.  “I-I just want to - to…”

 

The cell phone was snatched from his shaking hand. “N-no!” 

 

Goldtooth looked at the device then at the trembling monster in front of him.  A dangerous smile spread wide on his face. 

 

“You are clever prey.  We can make all of this so much more interesting.” He growled grabbing Blue by the arm and forcing him to come closer to him.   He turned him around so Blue’s back was to him. The young skeleton felt the werewolf’s muzzle right next to his injured head. He tried to pull forward but the werewolf’s free hand clamped around his jaw forcing his head to tilt away.   Blue groaned in pain and tried in vain to pry the claw away with his small hands.

 

“I bet Edge is going to love your message,” whispered the werewolf before opening his jaws wide revealing a sharp set of teeth and fangs.  

 

“No, please, no!” begged Blue silently before his voice ripped into a scream as the werewolf bit down on his clavicle crushing it and piercing his spatula.   His entire body vibrated with the werewolf’s deep, satisfied growling. Darkness rushed up to him and gratefully gave himself up to him. 

 

Somewhere in between feeling his body hit the cold ground and complete obliviousness he could swear he heard somebody say “Smile for the camera!”.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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